Dicentra spectabilis
by jlm110108
Summary: A little piece of fluff. Nice family moment.


D Is for Dicentra specatbilis

Author's note: I don't own the characters, and I would never profit from the fruits of anybody else's labor. I do own a dicentra spectabilis, however.

"Dad?" Charlie opened the front door and peeked inside. Alan's car wasn't in the driveway, but he didn't want to take any chances. Hearing no reply, he slipped through the door, holding his treasure carefully.

As he made his way to the garage, he hoped he would find what he needed there. Even though he owned the house now, he hadn't really spent a lot of time actually doing homeowner type tasks. Finally, he found the tools he needed, and headed to the back yard.

Once there, he opened the bag and smiled. The dicentra spectabilis was intact. He lifted it from the bag, careful not to knock any of the delicate flowers from the stems. Bleeding hearts. One of his mother's favorite flowers. He touched one of the perfect little blooms, pink, heart shaped, with a pink and white petal hanging below, like a drop of blood.

He had been wandering around Home Depot, looking for the koi food, when he found himself in the nursery section. Before he could escape, this precious little gem had caught his eye, and he couldn't resist. He remembered picking bleeding hearts from the garden and bringing them in to his mother when he was a kid. She always thanked him profusely, but as he got older, he realized that she would have been much happier if he'd left them on the plant. When he asked her about that years later, she said, "Well, Sweetie, if you leave them on the plant, we'll have them to enjoy so much longer."

He read the instructions and then read them again. He must have looked perplexed, because a gray haired lady in a Home Depot smock came over to him. "May I help you, sir?"

Startled, he jumped and nearly dropped the plant. "Oh, I'm sorry. You surprised me."

"I'm sorry, dear. You just looked confused. I was hoping I could help you." She smiled and touched one of the pretty little blossoms. "Aren't they beautiful? So sweet and old-fashioned. Are they for your mother?"

Charlie nodded, smiling slowly. "Yes. They're her favorites."

"Well, then I think you've made the perfect selection. I'll share a secret with you. They're my favorite too. They don't bloom very long, just April and May. They don't like the summer heat. They go dormant. You'll think they're dead, but don't worry. The next April, they're back, just as beautiful as ever. They like shade. Is your mother's garden shady?"

"Yes, it is. How do I plant it?"

"Oh, it's very simple. Just dig a nice wide hole, tease the roots so they're good and loose, otherwise they'll grow all twisted. Give it lots of compost, and the first year you'll need to water it a lot." She patted his hand. "You'll do just fine, dear, and I know your mother will be pleased."

"Yes," Charlie said. "I'm sure she will."

He finished digging the hole and slipped the plant from its pot. Sure enough, the roots circled around and around the soil. Remembering the lady's words, he grinned and whispered at the roots, "Nyah nyah! You suck!" Chuckling, he glanced around to make sure nobody but the koi had heard him. He gently pulled the roots apart, spreading them out as he placed the plant in the hole.

He had picked a nice, shady spot, just like the lady had suggested, and left plenty of room for the plant to grow. Once the plant was in place, he gently refilled the hole with handfuls of rich, moist soil.

He was just putting the finishing touches when he heard his father's voice, "Charlie?"

"Out here, Dad!"

Alan came into the back yard, and smiled as he saw Charlie kneeling beside the little plant. Charlie gave him a sheepish grin. "I was trying to find the koi food at Home Depot, and I got lost."

Alan knelt beside him and touched one of the blossoms. "Charlie, it's beautiful."

"I remember picking them for Mom."

"She loved that, Charlie. She really did."

"But if I'd left them on the plant they would have lasted longer. She told me that."

"They would have died in a couple of weeks anyway. By picking them, you showed your mother that you wanted her to have beautiful things. She appreciated that, even if her practical streak kept her from realizing it sometimes. She was a lawyer, after all, and they are nothing if not practical. But she was also a musician, an artist, and they appreciate being surrounded by beauty. Even if it doesn't last forever."

Father and son sat looking at the delicate plant and remembering. Suddenly, Charlie gasped. "I forgot the koi food."

When he arrived at Home Depot, he looked for the pleasant white-haired lady, but he didn't see her. Koi food in hand, he went back through the nursery department. He approached the only employee he could see, a tall, lanky kid with spiked black hair and tatoos on his arms. "Excuse me, I wanted to speak with the lady who helped me earlier."

"Lady? Nah, man, I'm the only one working the department today. Hey, I remember seeing you earlier. You bought a bleeding heart, right?"

"Yeah. The lady who helped me..."

"Nobody helped you, man," the kid gave Charlie an odd look. "You were there by yourself, lookin' at the plant like forever, and then you brought it up here and bought it."

"Oh, okay. Thanks." Charlie paid for the koi food and left. He never told anybody about the white haired lady who loved dicentra spectabilis.


End file.
